Category: Local Body Spotlight

This is our second Local Body Spotlight on Black Sun Lodge and our second LBS on diversity initiatives within the Order. It was written by a member of the Lodge and is timely for the season as Kwanzaa starts tomorrow, December 26.

Kwanzaa is a celebration in the U.S. and in other areas impacted by the African diaspora. It is in part, about rebalancing human dignity with local and global communities.

The concept of “Pillar of Community” was coined at Black Sun Lodge, originating with their local body master and is also aligned with Agape in Action.

I had given the project of a Kwanzaa Ritual a lot of thought before and afterwards. It was actually disheartening to realize, while researching, that the celebration is in a sharp decline amongst African-American communities overall, with the exception of a few major cities. In some of my online communities of African-American Pagans, I would find one or two enthusiastic persons who felt inspired to pick the tradition back up as well. As a whole, however, people have forgotten how hard previous generations fought to see equality finally catch up in the latter half of last century. As if none of the hard-fought liberties could ever go away.

I found it ironic, given at the time what was about to be in store for our nation, and what we are going through right now and for the foreseeable future.

Nonetheless, I saw an opportunity to celebrate Kwanzaa’s 50th Anniversary and integrate it into my own practices. I shared my idea with members of Black Sun Lodge, and they encouraged me to share this as a public ritual.

The core of the celebration, for me, served as a reminder to live by our doctrines and the oaths I have taken, both within the Order and within myself, and that words can only go so far without action and commitment. Those of us who attended readily agreed that we should hold a Kwanzaa ritual every year. This provides an opportunity for guests and members to experience and appreciate diverse, cultural beliefs that are in alignment with our own tenets on θηλεμα and Αγαπε.

Inspired by Maulana Karenga’s Pan-African holiday and by Black Sun’s pillar of Community, I reviewed the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa and adjusted them with our Thelemic values in mind:

Umoja (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race. One Family, One Community, One Nation, One Race.

Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define and name ourselves, as individuals and as a community, as well as to create and speak for ourselves, individually and as a community.

Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and support our brothers and sisters as we solve our own Mysteries, and find solutions together.

Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together, while inspiring other magical communities to do the same.

Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to exhault our Divinity within each and every one of us.

Kuumba (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

Imani (Faith): To believe with all our hearts in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our individual and unified struggles.

Written by a member of Black Sun Lodge.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of U.S. Grand Lodge or of O.T.O.

In the next few months, the Electoral College Blog will be posting a series on diversity initiatives.

Black Sun Lodge has been a thought leader in this regard, and they are this month’s Local Body Spotlight.

A month or so ago, a Facebook post caught my attention because it had a sign which read:

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

“Every man and every woman is a star.” – Liber AL vel Legis, 1:3

“We are all free, all independent, all shining gloriously, each one a radiant world.” – “Liber DCCCXXXVII: The Law of Liberty”, from Equinox III(1)

In accordance with the words of our Prophet, Aleister Crowley, Black Sun does not discriminate against anyone based on their race, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, sexual identification, or any other petty bias the world may decide to conjure up. ALL person who walk through these doors will be welcomed with the same warmth of welcome that we accord to our brothers and sisters, without exception. We also expect that you will treat all those within with respect and kindness and without bias.

If it is not your Will to welcome ALL and to return the warm welcome that awaits you inside with courtesy, you are welcome to find your enlightenment elsewhere. Prejudice and ignorance have no place within these walls.

Love is the law, love under will.

Respectfully,

The Officers of Black Sun

This month’s Local Body Spotlight is an interview with Sr Lori Lent, Deputy Master of Black Sun Lodge.

Q: When did Black Sun decide to put up the sign?

A: Black Sun has always been interested in diversity, we just weren’t really sure how to do the outreach part. So we batted around a lot of ideas, but there wasn’t a lot of forward momentum until after Sabazius gave his keynote at the 2015 NOTOCON in Austin. He talked about our responsibilities to others as Thelemites, and it resonated with us in a big way. We got a copy of the transcript and read it again as a body (for those who were unable to attend NOTOCON), and afterward we did a brainstorm session together to find ways to put our ideas into action. We’ve been working on putting implementing these plans for two years now.

In Chapter 73 of Magick Without Tears, we find Crowley himself explaining how racism and classism are both rooted in fear, and how they bring out the worst in people. — Excerpt from NOTOCON X keynote speech

Q: What is the history of the sign? Who created it? When was it put up?

A: The sign was my first act toward fostering a culture of inclusiveness. I was trying to find a way to announce to everyone at every event that this is what we do here, and this was my solution. I didn’t really talk to Br Andrew, our body master, about it before I wrote it. I just presented it to him and said: “Can we put this up somewhere? Maybe on the front door?”

He was really excited about it, and he was happy to let me put it up. It went up in late 2015, and it’s graced our door ever since. I love it, because it not only announces to everyone who walks through our door that they are welcome, but it also reminds all of us to do our best to be inclusive, to respect and welcome everyone, regardless of who they are or where they come from. It’s been very effective on both fronts, I think.

Q: Do newcomers comment on it? If yes, what do they say?

A: I don’t know that any newcomers have commented on it, but it has generated a lot of conversation among our membership and in our region. People here are proud of it, and several local bodies around us have adopted similar ideas. If it gives just one person that last little incentive they needed to come through the door and stick around, then it’s served it’s purpose.

Q: Have you ever had any push back on it?

A: Actually, we have, though it wasn’t on the local level. When I first posted the sign, I put a picture of it up on Facebook, and it was shared out by several people, so it got around. The reaction for the most part was very positive, but there were several people on FB who were asking why we needed a sign, why we felt the need to advertise such a thing, what had happened to make such a sign necessary, and one person even implied we put it up because we secretly wanted to discriminate against people, and it was a case of “protesting too much.” I remember feeling shocked at the reaction, because I thought what Thelemite can argue the fact that every man and every woman is a star? It just boggled my mind.

Q: Have you seen any impact on diversity representation because of the sign?

A: We have definitely seen more diversity locally in the last year or so than we have had in the 7 years I’ve been affiliated, but that could be due to many different factors. We have several members who are very dedicated to bringing Thelema to a more diverse audience. We currently have a minority pagan support group that meets quarterly, and an LGBT pagan support group that meets monthly at the LGBT Center here in Cleveland. We printed postcards with the events for the quarter on them, and we distributed them in every neighborhood in the Cleveland area, which represents a lot of diversity. We are presenting a Kwanzaa ritual at the end of December. We have a community altar set up in our Lodge with deities and items from nearly every religion in the world represented. We had an Ifa priestess come in and do orisha readings for people. Our local body has also done presentations on everything from African religion to gender and the importance of using preferred pronouns. We are dedicated to the ideas put forth in our sign, and our efforts and our space and our calendar all reflect that dedication.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of U.S. Grand Lodge or of O.T.O.

This month’s Local Body Spotlight is from the valley of Minneapolis, MN. All names and photos are used with permission.

Late last year, Sister Magenta, a long-time participant in both the local pagan community and at Leaping Laughter Oasis, asked me a simple enough question.

“Harper, what do you think about having a hospitality suite at Paganicon?”

I had to ask her in return, “Magenta, what’s a Paganicon?”

She explained to me that it was a large annual pagan conference held every March at a Double Tree hotel in South Minneapolis. The potential benefits of attending were pretty obvious. The Twin Cities have such a large pagan community that the region is fondly known in some circles as Paganistan. In spite of that, I think that the OTO is not as well-recognized in the community as the resident Satanists. This was a really good opportunity to spread some love and get noticed.

To have a hospitality suite, we had to propose a theme and to rent the space. A couple members got together and donated the funds to do that. 100 LED tealight candles were likewise procured. The rest of the LLO folks donated the hugest hill of snacks that I have ever seen.

When we were asked for a description of a theme for our suite, we wrote a paragraph about a Egyptian-theme hiding place for introverts. We manifested this by strewing the tea lights all over the darkened front room of the suite and played softly eerie ambient music. In the actual bedroom part of the suite, beyond the dimly lit front room, were piles of goodies, spread out on a table with a tarp underneath, because we wanted to leave the carpet clean. Two of our members gave introductory talks to those in attendance (Sisters Magenta and Ixel Balamke).

The suite was, by my reckoning, an amazing success. We gave out all the pamphlets that we had in the first two hours. The room was frequently full. The organizers thought it was the most unique suite of the conference, and upon some discussions with them, we were encouraged to propose to perform the Gnostic Mass at the next Paganicon, which will take place in March 2018.

Our presence at the Twin Cities Pride festival in June had a similar origin; only this time, it was Sister Kirstine with the big idea. She had been previously involved with other groups at this enormous festival (400,000 attendees in 2016), and was familiar with the protocols of getting booth space and the legal necessities required for a non-profit group who wasn’t selling anything to be involved. When she suggested that we go to Pride, at least I knew what that was.

Sister Magenta and Brother Martin donated a big blue tent to the effort, we made some vinyl banners (one with a design from Frater IAO131) and t-shirts with the help of Brother Ron Labhart. Sister Kjirsten folded about 700 origami peace cranes to give out as gifts. We carried with us a similar number of business cards. Sister Kirstine purchased a beautiful table cloth and roses, and we hung a foam-core copy of the Stele on the back wall of the tent. We were obnoxiously cheerful and talkative, standing in front of the booth with the cranes and our carefully-crafted elevator speeches (engineered by the booth staff during planning meetings). It was key to our approach that we were both animated and audibly friendly.

We had given out all the cranes and pamphlets early on Sunday morning. We ran out of business cards by 4 PM. I lost track counting the number of people I had spoken with at 180. None of us could talk at all when we were done.

Brother Rufus was an absolute champ at this, but he was outdone by Brother John, who graced us in a fashionable ensemble of Picachu tights and a tutu. He was the person who showed us how to better interact in this situation. “Are you familiar with the OTO?” became “HOW’S YOUR PRIDE?” With his inspiration, we took our booth skills to a whole new level.

We collected dozens of email addresses and have a couple new folks gracing the Oasis as a result. We plan to up our game next year by moving away from the area of religious organizations. We were completely surrounded with Christian booths, most of whom displayed the message “Are you gay? Maybe we’ll put up with you.” Some of those folks were distinctly disturbed by the sign proclaiming our message of sexual freedom. Or maybe it was that scary unicursal hexagram.

Next year, we plan to request to be relocated to the arts section, near the tarot readers. Having more folks to help staff the booth will be a priority, too. Those of us who spent two straight days talking to people needed a week to recuperate, even our more outgoing members.

We had most of the summer to recover and buy a new tent in preparation for Twin Cities Pagan Pride, which took place in early September. Sister Kirstine was again at the organizational helm. PP was only a day long (10-6) at a beautiful park in South Minneapolis (Minnehaha State Park, complete with a waterfall). The weather was picture-perfect and we all (Brothers RO, Yoshi, Caleb and Robin and Sister Kirstine and I) arrived early and got set-up in record time. Actually, they did the work while I was telling two runners I met at Minnehaha Falls about the festival.

The park got increasingly busier until it attendance peaked at about 1 PM. We had our hands full for the rest of the day. Sister Ixel showed up about this time with a huge cooler full of ice and bottled water and snacks for the crew. Brother Scott S. also provided an entire day of much appreciated booth support. We put all we had learned in the two previous events to work during this festival. We brought 500 business cards, 70 tri-fold pamphlets, photos of our Oasis space and a hard copy of our full-to-bursting calendar.

We estimate that we contacted most of the people in the park who were there for the event. Since the park is a very popular tourist destination, there were quite a few folks who were simply confused by what was going on, but we even spoke with a couple of those. Many of the local pagans were amazed by our permanent space and full calendar, but I think the best thing that we demonstrated for them is our basic friendliness and willingness to be questioned about what we think. For these folks, it was more than awesome to have the young folks with us (props to brothers Yoshi and Caleb, aged 14 and 15!).

Compared to Pride, the Pagan Pride show was a breeze. It was easy because it was much smaller, we had the right number of folks helping and the new tent was a major win. We were all out of the park by 6:30, home by 7:00. No extended recovery period was required!

So, what did we get out of all this craziness? We do have a few new folks coming around. We have a renewed solidity to what we believe – there’s nothing like distilling your ideas to a 1 minute elevator speech to clarify things. We seem to have earned ourselves an opportunity to perform the Gnostic Mass at Paganicon next spring, and the Twin Cities pagan community is allegedly already looking forward to our next hospitality suite.

The true wins were internal to LLO and to each of the participants, though. I think we’ve congealed a promulgation team that works well together both at the Oasis and out in the world. Each one of us spent literally hours explaining what we think, do and believe to people we didn’t know, and in so doing, illuminating those things to ourselves. Our Summer of Promulgation has really been a great experience, and we’re planning to expand our efforts next year!

Written by a member of Leaping Laughter Oasis.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of U.S. Grand Lodge or of O.T.O.

This month’s Local Body Spotlight is on one of our newer local bodies, in the Valley of Boise, ID, Khephra Rising. This article was written by Sr. Sinistra with the Local Bodymaster’s encouragement and permission.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

As a lone bastion of Thelemic practice in the geographically isolated valley of Boise, Idaho, Khephra Rising Camp beat the odds to come into being. A dedicated contingent of Thelemites worked together to create a study group at first, which grew into the chartered body we have today – with much help from our brothers and sisters around the country. The nearest bodies, in Ogden and Salt Lake City, contributed their time and effort into bringing the first Gnostic Mass and initiations ever to Idaho even before Khephra Rising had any hope of materializing. It was support like this that inspired us to reach ever higher for the golden ring of OTO officialdom.

Because of our unique location, it has been imperative for nearly anyone who wishes to be initiated to travel to other cities. Our members have been willing and eager to do this, and our sister bodies have graciously accommodated us. We owe debts of thanks to the aforementioned N.O.X. and Horus Oases in Utah, as well as Sekhet-Maat Lodge in Portland, and Horizon Lodge in Seattle.

Still maintaining our close ties with bodies who shepherded us, Khephra Rising has taken the reins and performed several Minerval initiations. First Degrees will happen in September. Throughout our short history, we’ve cultivated and maintained friendly, cooperative relations with local Pagan groups, with access to meeting spaces and classes attended by Pagans as well as our own membership. This community bonding has strengthened our visibility and stimulated curiosity in who we are and what we are about. For the last several years, long before Camp status was even dreamt of, our group, then known as Thelema, Love, and Magick represented the Law at the largest Pagan gathering in Idaho. Goddess Fest attracts Pagans, Wiccans, Druids, and more with informational and sales booths, as well as public rituals, music, classes, divination – a great venue for promulgating the Law to those who might be the most amenable to our path.

Our officers have met with other local groups to answer questions about the OTO, and we sponsor public meetings for anyone who wishes to meet and query us. Individually, our members have written and presented classes on such widely diverse topics as astrology, the history of magick, sex magick, the correspondences in 777, chaos magic, the Scarlet Women of Crowley, and an ongoing series of classes reviewing The Book of Lies. A study of Hriliu is beginning; in concert with plans to build and perform the Mass.

The Camp’s most fun event takes place every year on Crowleymas, October 12, when we draw names and have a Thelemic gift exchange and party to celebrate the lesser feast of our Prophet. This has become tradition, and all members anticipate it each year. While we have social get-togethers periodically, the focus of Crowleymas makes it the most meaningful. Great care is put into the selection of gifts for our siblings.

While progress seems slow sometimes, the very fact that our Body Master, Fr. M A B U S, had this vision and inspired all of us to achieve it speaks to the dedication and love each of us has for the Law and the goals of the OTO. The welcoming and fun atmosphere here should serve to not only strengthen our bonds with each other, but to attract new members to our fold.

Love is the law, love under will.

Written by Soror Sinistra

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of U.S. Grand Lodge or of O.T.O.

July’s Local Body Spotlight is not about or from a local body. It is from a Camp-in-Formation (CiF) Organizer who has a CiF that uses the name Thelema RVA in the Richmond, Virginia area.

Sr Capella writes about how they retain people in their region.

The Question of Retention – Thelema RVA, July 2017

What works in one group might work in another group. Therefore, feel free to use what works for you and discard what you feel does not.

Retention seems to be a formula equal to the number of people we reach x a factor of willingness x a factor of ability.

We review who we have not retained in order to understand what we need to do differently. So we looked at feedback from those who have departed or become inactive. We found the following:

About 50% of people who did not continue to come around were “Not Free” (e.g. not able to come due to distance, relocation, schedule, family, relocation, family/dependent intervention, car trouble or busy with school/work/family or a personal ordeal)

The rest were a combination of the following (mostly Not Willing):

Trouble Working in Groups (as a result of mental health issues and/or personal prejudices)

False Expectations (they did not find what they were looking for either due to a misunderstanding of Thelema or Crowley, or assuming an “anything goes” environment, assuming someone other than themselves is responsible for their learning or progress or assuming magick does not work because they did something once and it failed.)

Improving Retention

Thelema RVA House Rules – reviewed with all joiners. Since implementation, there has been a much lower instance of behavioral issues.

Education Committee’s Classes on “Thelema Basics” and “Thelema Ethics” taught to all newcomers as one of their first classes. This has been another key to reduce misunderstandings.

Crowley info added to our website. This has helped with untangling individuals from misinformation they have received elsewhere. Hoping this will also help members manage any issues with misinformed intervening family members.

“Ticket System” employed whereby joiners are given a menu of classes on color-coded Tickets to choose from. In so doing, the approach became one of Self-Direction. Note: Members can also choose from non-Ticket items if the topic is appropriate.

Have Members take turns running the business meeting thereby deciding what goes on the calendar for the upcoming month. This is another approach to Self-Direction.

Do some Daily Ritual at every meeting. (Will, LBRP, Resh…) When folks say that the magick does not work, I say “are you doing your daily rituals?”…the issue here is with the proficiency of magician, not with the magick.

To correct Trouble Working In Groups (Much Improved)

The House Rules (6 Items) found in our Program Guide clarify acceptable behavior as well as outline the corrective action options employed in cases of an infraction.

Participation Guide clarifies schedule flexibility which may be needed as folks work through people-issues.

Keep a flow of communication open in order to receive the sage wisdom of others: Kaaba info, Mentor, other body masters, etc.. Problem-solve.

The Education Committee’s Class on “Thelema Ethics” class has helped tremendously in this area.

Keeping an open dialogue with members and ask them what is bothering them and ask them if they think the issue is themselves or the other person. Encouraging a little healthy introspection is always good.

The Personal Alchemy classes are what helped me through my ordeals, and may help others bounce back from a hit in their life (in the category of relationship, job, health issues, etc.). (As per the Book of the Law the ordeals are unwritten and the gross must pass through fire).

Referring individuals to OTO Bodies or Thelema Groups near them is a Distance Option.

OTO US GL correspondence@ email is another Distance Option.

By Appointment Option for Saturday 1:1 classes if they cannot make Monday night class.

OFF-SITE SELF-ORGANIZE & SELF-FACILITATE OPTION is available for folks who want to step up and teach a class or facilitate a discussion, activity or social on dates & times other than the Monday night class.

The Participation Guide has helped folks understand they can come and go as they please and show on a weekly basis, monthly basis or drop-in basis. They can also pursue the OTO degrees on an annual basis, which is ideal for some folks who are just too busy with their lives to commit to much else.

Written by Sr Capella

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of U.S. Grand Lodge or of O.T.O.

This month’s Local Body Spotlight features Golden Thread Camp in the Valley of Pittsburgh, PA.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

Golden Thread is composed of three pillars. One pillar is our M.·.M.·.M.·. program: performing and facilitating initiations into the Man of Earth degrees of Ordo Templi Orientis. Another pillar is our EGC program: performing and facilitating the rituals and services of Ecclesia Gnostic Catholica. The third pillar, our Middle Pillar, is our unique identity: the place where spreading the law of Thelema, practicing the Gnostic Mass, and offering initiations intersects with the unique culture of our geographic region and the needs of the individuals who form our community. It is nothing short of our group identity. And a strong identity is necessary for growth, stability, and the continued success of our ventures.

The most important thing that we can do to support our Third Pillar is to empower our members to share their passions: whether that be leading a Yoga or meditation group, holding a class or roundtable on their favorite topic, sharing their favorite movie during our occult movie night, or having the opportunity to talk about their favorite book or graphic novel in our book club. We are a developing community, so many individuals have not have had the opportunity to share their unique ideas in a supportive environment. The response to this approach has been powerful. Our schedule is full of high-quality events led by people enthusiastic for the opportunity to share their unique knowledge, experience, and perspective. This is one of my favorite parts of participating in a local body – watching members engage with their passions.

We host two large annual events that highlight this dedication to individual creativity: The Thelemic Unconference and The Sagittarrium Art Show.

The Thelemic Unconference

The Thelemic Unconference is a unique event. Unlike the typical conference where a set schedule is planned weeks or months in advance, the classes are developed at the beginning of the day by the participants themselves. Attendees are encouraged to share their passion and knowledge on all Thelemic and Magick-based topics, using different teaching methods including roundtable discussions, hands on workshops, practice sessions, etc. Classes or groups can range anywhere from five minutes to several hours. Attendees can also request a class or discussion on any topic. The format is liberating. Think of it as an event full of only the conversations that happen between the classes at NOTOCON. We just hosted our second annual Unconference and already have the third planned out. The Thelemic Unconference is the result of the hard work and grace of Kashmira, who also serves as our Event Coordinator.

Sagittarrium Art Show

Next, we are beginning to gear up for this fall’s Sagittarrium Art Show. Last year we hosted this event in our previous Temple – a 400 square-foot storefront. (We have since moved to our current 2400 square foot Temple.) We could not have anticipated the turnout. For the duration of the event, our Temple was packed full of members, friends, and interested Pittsburghers. We raised over a $1000 in profits for the Camp from selling prints and original pieces. The show provided an artistic platform for members to show their work, offered inspiration the attendees, and also served to raised our profile. It showed that Golden Thread had a part to play in the local art community. We have expanded the scope of this year’s show to include performance such as dance, live music, poetry, and whatever else our artists dream up. The Sagittarrium Art Show is brought to life by the dedication and passion of Courtney, who also serves as our Camp Secretary.

Unique events such as these allow us to promulgate to the various cultural cliques in our geographic region. A necessary step in order to establish a strong and lasting presence in the area.

More details on these events are available on our website: goldenthread-oto.org. Also check out our recent blog post “The Three Pillars of Golden Thread Camp” for more of our unique events in addition to an overview of our “Three Pillar” philosophy.

Love is the law, love under will.

Terry M.

Master, Golden Thread Camp

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of U.S. Grand Lodge or of O.T.O.

The following is an update from the Local Bodymaster, Brother Sacha, of ARARITA Encampment and is our featured Local Body Spotlight for May 2017.

Despite the sometimes thankless work that goes into running a body, the experience of running ARARITA Encampment has been the single most fulfilling thing I have done in my life. This is not a statement that I make lightly. My life has been full of excitement, from writing software for embedded heart monitors that help save patients’ lives to traveling to the remains of the Abbey of Thelema and doing ritual amidst art painted by our Prophet, among other things that discretion dictates I omit from the public record. Still, there is nothing quite like the feeling one gets in building a Brotherhood that has such a profound impact on the lives of its members, especially knowing the potential said Brotherhood has in one day transforming society on a massive scale.

As an Encampment, ARARITA is a young body and still has many trials to overcome before it blooms into its full potential. I think this sometimes causes others to underestimate us, and I completely understand. After all, countless previous camps have come and gone, many left buried in the sands of time, forgotten to all but a handful of former members. I feel most honored to count myself among a group of people that I think are worthy of breaking the so-called “Curse of San Diego,” being a term others before me have used to describe the inability of a body to really take off here.

My vision for ARARITA, to date, can be summed up in three phrases: “with business way,” “the Law is for all,” and “we take care of each other.” I am doing my best to embody each of these as best I can, in hopes of creating a sustained momentum that continues long after my time as Master comes to an end. I’d like to briefly outline what each of these phrases means to me, in the context of running ARARITA:

“with business way” – On the surface, this one may seem obvious. I strive to adopt a business-like attitude toward body operations. Yes, we are a fraternity, but we still need to pay the bills and draw in new members. This means having multiple streams of revenue, setting a monthly advertising budget along with a sophisticated marketing strategy, and encouraging innovation.

Innovation can be as simple as investigating emerging technologies and experimenting with their application to local body operations. I like what some members are doing with technologies like virtual reality and Periscope, for instance. One of my goals right now is to develop a simple SMS reminder service that allows our members to opt in to receive text messages notifying them of upcoming events, schedule changes, Mass roles for which they’ve signed up, etc.

We have only just recently begun enforcing regular dues payment, but with that accomplished we can finally expand our Facebook advertising strategy and begin experimenting with print ads and other options. In the past, Facebook has had a substantial impact on event attendance. With experimental targeting and sustained campaigns, I think we can take it to the next level.

One thing I believe very strongly is that there are many thousands of people out there looking for exactly what O.T.O. offers, without knowing that something like this exists. Without a strong promulgation campaign, those people will never come across us.

“the Law is for all” – In the context of running ARARITA, to me this means identifying the different needs and desires of our attendees and potential attendees. While Mass and initiations are core activities in O.T.O., people have repeatedly expressed that they appreciate the fact that we host regular classes. For some people, this is all they are looking for. By making classes available to them, we are able to encourage a proliferation of Thelemic thinking into society outside of O.T.O.. and bring in revenue from people who may otherwise not be interested in Mass or initiations.

Along a similar note, there are many people who are absolutely in love with the Mass and other ecclesiastical services, but who have no interest in pursuing initiation. We are currently experimenting with the idea that maybe initiation isn’t for everyone. While we certainly have no interest in discouraging people from initiating, we also want to make sure people who are exclusively interested in E.G.C. feel welcome returning as lifelong members of the laity.

Finally, I want to do everything I can to avoid unnecessary cliquishness and some of the problems that are associated with that. While there will always tend to be friend groups within a body, and obviously not everybody will like everybody else, I want to make sure that people of all stripes feel welcome coming by. Nobody should ever feel unwanted or like their advancement might be capped at a certain point because they aren’t friends with the right people, for example. Similarly, we should be reaching out to all kinds of people, not just people in our own subcultures.

“We take care of each other” – In my opinion, some of our fraternal bonds compel us to assist each other when difficulty strikes. The extent to which we are obligated to do so can be argued, but I want to build a culture in which our members know that we have each other’s backs.

I recently had the great honor of being able to assist one of our members in attaining freedom after he was abducted from his home by immigration officers and locked in a detention center for a month because of an expired piece of paper. Said member is bisexual and transgender, and we are now working to help him seek asylum in the United States.

While many of the benefits described in Liber 101 will never exist, or belong to the distant future, it is my opinion that our Prophet clearly envisioned an Order in which members took their obligations to their Sisters and Brothers very seriously. This vision seems to be reinforced in the Baptism ceremony, where sponsors agree to “accept, protect, and aid this Candidate as you would your own child.” I’d like to see a future in which this agreement is fully taken to heart.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of U.S. Grand Lodge or of O.T.O.